Parsing R code: Freedom of expression is not always a good idea (2012)

Re:Parsing R code: Freedom of expression is not always a goo... by svnpenn on Tuesday June 14, 2022 @11:29AM (#31740926)

I wholly disagree with this sentiment. I have seen, time and again, awful language design choices. Granted, they might have been the best option at the time, or maybe no one could think of a better method.

But things change with time. And quite often, the response to suggestions ends up being "it's too late to change it", "it's good enough", or any number of comments to minimize the obvious negatives. Too often people get stuck in "local maximums", thinking their way is best, until years later when time has proven them wrong.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Parsing R code: Freedom of expression is not always a goo... by dash2 on Tuesday June 14, 2022 @03:36PM (#31744890)

I didn't say the guy was wrong. I said he wasn't going to change anything by standing outside and complaining. I think your argument supports that idea. Maybe in an ideal world people would be very open to drive-by critique. In reality, not so.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Parsing R code: Freedom of expression is not always a goo... by svnpenn on Tuesday June 14, 2022 @06:30PM (#31746849)

From experience, I find the better option is to just move on.

You can only shout at a wall for so long, before you realize that you're wasting your time. So you make your concerns heard (which this guy did), and you move on. If people want to take the advice to heart, great, but its not likely. Plenty of other languages to use, and plenty of other software to use.

[ Parent | on HN ]